Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	dead_a	raise_v	resurrection_n	5,547	5	8.6998	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66102	Impenitent sinners warned of their misery and summoned to judgment delivered in two sermons, the former on the Sabbath, Nov. 6, the other on the lecture following, Nov. 10, 1698, occasioned by the amazing instance of a miserable creature who stood condemned for murdering her infant begotten in whoredom : to which are subjoyned the solemn words spoken to her on those opportunities, published for the warning of others / by Samuel Willard.	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.	1698 (1698)	Wing W2281; ESTC R30203	31,791	66

life while men are in this world conversant in the body they are upon probation for Etetnity they are laying in and making way for their account and all that they do here bears a proper respect thereunto for they are the works which are done in the body which must be called to an after reckoning 2 Cor. 5. 10. hence sinners are said in this time to be treasuring up into themselves wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2 5. It is evident that neither good men nor evil men are in this life openly distinguished in the observable Providences of God except in some special instances love and hatred cannot be known by all that is before them Eccles 9. 1. yea the wise man hath an observation as if often times the outward face of things look with a contrary aspect Eccles 8. 14. there be just men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous What shall we say It is for the present a day of patience forbearance with which God sees meet to treat men even the worst of men withal in which he lets them alone for a while suffers them to go on till they have filled up their measure and though they give him uncountable and very grievous provocations yet he falls not upon them But yet he is brought in laughing at them all the while and we are told the reason of it Psal 37. 13. The Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is coming Since then men are not called to their reckoning here it remains that they be summoned to it afterwards inasmuch as it is certain that God will sooner or later manifest the glory of his Holiness and Righteousness and make it known that he is the great Potentate and Ruler of Angels and men III. That there is a particular Judgment to which every man shall be called immediately after Death It is true the general Judgment is reserved for the great and last day when after the whole affair of time is wound up God will call all reasonable Creatures to an account and having raised up their dead bodies to life and re united them to their Souls of which Resurrection also the word of God gives us the assurance he will cite them before his Tribunal and dispose of them in their whole persons eternally which day is peculiarly Celebrated in the Book of God which though it also follows after mans death yet it will not be till a long time after a great many have dyed and seen Corruption and that because there were other Generations to be born and live and dy until the whole Series of them according to the Divine appointment be consummated But there is besides this another more particular one which passeth upon the Soul on its departure from the body which though it be not so frequently or expresly spoken of in the Holy Scriptures yet there are also sufficient intimations of it there 〈◊〉 be found enough to confirm our faith in the belief of it This is an indubitable truth that the Soul of man doth not dy a proper natural Death nor is it capable of it The man indeed is said to die by reason of the dissolution of the bond of Union and the separation which is thereupon made between the Soul and Body whereupon the body remains a Carcase and must suffer Corruption after which there must be a powerful Resurrection bestowed on it in order to its being made capable of standing forth in Judgment But it is otherwise with the Soul that in its separate state still retains its Spiritual and Immortal nature which it is in no other way able to lose but by an Anni●ilation and it is accordingly disposed of presently to its unchangable state whether it be of weal or wo. When Lazarus dyeth his Soul is forth with carryed by a Convoy of Angels into Abrabams bosome and that is no other but a place and state of actual Felicity When the Wicked Rich man dyes the next news that we hear of his Soul is in Hell whether it is carried and where it is disposed of and that not only as in a Prison but as a place of Execution where it suffers the penalty which its sin had procured for it for this reason we have him pouting out his doleful complaint Luk. 16. 24. I am tormented in this flame And we have Abraham brought in declaring concerning them both Verse 25. He is comforted and thou art tormented When the penitent Thief dyes he is the same day entertained with his Saviour in Paradise for so Christ himself promised to him Luk. 23. 43. which must needs intend a state of actual blessedness enjoyed in that place And why was Paul in such a strait and so desirous to depart Phil. 1. 23. it was to be with Christ which he saith is best of all which it could not be if he did not presently enter into communion with Christ in blessedness Now certainly mens going actually to receive rewards and punishments necessarily infers a Judgment that is past upon them in order thereunto for those things are beyond all question disposed of by God in the exercise of his Government over the Creature as he is the Judge of all Besides there is such an Indefinite assertion used by the wise man which amounts to an universal and hath a respect to all sorts of men Eccl. 12. 7. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and ●he Spirit shall return to God who gave it These two returns are put together as contemporary and all Souls do not return to God as their Father to be admitted into his Kingdom and to dwell with him and enjoy his favourable presence for ever that is a priviledge proper only to the Godly and none shall enjoy it but those whom Christ hath Redeemed and Saved As for the ungodly it is said concerning them Psal 9. 17. The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the nations that forget God It is therefore to God as a Judge to be doomed and disposed of by him according to his righteous Judgment IV. That this is an awfull consideration to men while they live and peculiarly so to such as are just ready to dy I may not tarry at these things to give a distinct and particular account of them but must only give some brief glances at them And there are two asser●ions in this Observation 1. It carryes awe in it to men while they live to put them on the greatest Circumspection to themselves in their whole course If there were no Judgment to come what need would there be for men to take any care how or after what manner they lead their lives The Epecurian Doctrine let us drink and drab let us revel and swagger and give every sensual lust its freest scope to satisfie it self might plead if not reason yet immunity and security

be and accordingly all men are reserved for it It is the latter of these statutes then that I am now to treat of though with that respect as it is consequent upon the former In the words then there are three things to be observed 1. A Statute for the Judgment is asserted and thereby we are assured that it shall be without fail for the appointment mentioned in the beginning of the verse hath reference to this as well as to death and this is the first and most proper signification of the word 2. The time when it shall be after that men dy And although we are not told how loon it shall be after yet we have Scripture warrant to conclude that every ones personal Judgment will follow presently upon it though the great and general Judgment is reserved until the consummation of all things as will be farther observed anon 3. The subjects of it or who they are on whom this Judgment shall pass men indefinitely expressed it intends all men this Judgment is as extensive as Death yea there have been will be some exceptions from the general Rule about Death who have been translated or shall be changed but even these also shall come to the Judgment Hence DOCTRINE A certain Death shall be followed with as certain a Judgment It is every whit as certain that men shall come unto Judgment as that they shall Dye That every one must dy sooner or later is an acknowledged truth by all and proved by universal experience though Oh how few do improve it to good purpose And a reason why this truth hath no more proper or suitable impressions on mens minds may be because either they believe not or put from them the thoughts of the ensuing account which they shall be called unto and look no further than the Grave where they think there will be an end of them which must needs make them unconcerned for that which comes after But here we are led into the contemplation of a more awful truth which is no less real though not so obvious to the senses I shall not at present enter upon any distinct or methodical discourse about this matter but only make some cursory glances on it There are therefore three or four brief Observations which I shall make on this truth to make it practicable 1. That there is a future Judgment to which all reasonable Creatures shall be called How far the Doctrine of a future Judgment hath been entertained by the light of nature in the Consciences of men acted by humane reason without the help of Scripture revelation I shall not now enquire But that it is an Article of faith commended to us by the infallible Oracles of that God who cannotly or be mistaken is written with Sun b●ams in his word Read for this Eccles 12. 14. God will bring every work into Judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or evil Acts 17. 31. he hath appointed a day in which he will Judge the World in righteousness by the man whom he hath appointed 2 Cor. 5. 10. we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ that ●v●ry one may receive the things done in the body and we have a description of it given to us by Christ himself in Math. 25. 33 to end And it must needs be so for there is a special Government of God to be acknowledged in the managment whereof he will bring all reasonable Creatures to an everlasting state of happiness or misery according to their Obedience or Disobedience to the Law of that Government in prosecution whereof he will display the Glory of his Justice and Grace God deals with his Creatures in his Government according to the nature which he saw meet to bestow on them in their Creation Now when God Created man he made him a reasonable Creature and thereby capable of being treated in the way of a Covenant by precepts and promises and threatnings according unto which capacity he gave him a Command and required his obedience to it promised him a reward of life in case of his performing of perfect Obedience thereunto denouncing Death against him in case he should disobey He hath also upon mans Apostasy by which he fell under a Curse of Death revealed to him a new and a living way for his recovery out of that misery into which he was plunged and hath treated some of that race with a Covenant of Grace in which he hath promised them life upon their compliance with it and menaced them with damnation yea double damnation on their neglect of it All these things are abundantly testified to in the Word of God Now men are according to their behaviour with respect to this discovery which God hath made of himself to man and obligation which he hath laid him under disposed of everlastingly In order unto which they are to pass under a Trial. Where there is a Law given to reasonable Creatures established with Sanctions there must needs be a Judgment in which their relation thereto is to be examined and a retribution made to them accordingly Either they have complied with the Rule given to them and are to receive a reward of life or they have revolted therefrom have not sought and made their peace according to the tenour of the Covenant of Grace and then they must receive the wages of sin which is death as we are told Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sin is death He therefore that acknowledgeth a Government of God over rational beings must needs believe that there shall be a Judgment or a time of Trial and Recompences II. That this Judgment is after Death this is the order that it is manifestly put in Text. That there are many awful and stupendous Judgments that God brings upon men in this world is not to be denied in which he declares his Holiness and just Indignation at sin and hence we are told Psal 9. 14. The Lord is known by the Judgment that he executeth There is also a Court which God hath set up in mens Consciences at which Bar they are sometimes solemnly tried and being there convicted of breaking the Holy Law of God laying themselves open to the vengeance therein threatned they are filled with horrors But it is another Judgment whereof we are now considering in which men are to appear before God and receive from him their final doom which when it is once past shall be immediately put in Execution Now this men come not to in this life but after they are dead so that death is not as too many vainly dream the last news that shall be heard of men but there is something more fearful and amazing that comes after it and that is the Judgment There is a Judgment to come so Paul Preached to Faelix at the report whereof he trembled Acts 24. 25. and when is that but when men are past from time and have done the work which they were engaged in in this